On a warm summer morning, you can first visit the Notranjska Museum, which boasts a rich cultural and historical heritage of the unique karst area in which we are located. The diverse collection of skeletons of cave bears and other Ice Age animals, as well as seeing cave animals under a microscope, is admirable. The permanent exhibition of the Karst Museum, which is the most comprehensive exhibition on karst in Europe, will take you through the timeline of the development of karst phenomena from the Ice Age to the present day. A real medieval treasure from Predjama Castle is also on display in the Notranjska Museum.
Guided tours are also available, especially for younger curious visitors, the museum also offers educational programs and workshops where children can discover the wonderful world of karst.
After visiting the museum, you can continue along the road towards Predjama and after a five-minute drive, turn right to Camp Pivka Jama, which is hidden in the heart of pristine nature, removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.
You can also park your car on designated spaces and spend the night, or you can decide to spend the night in wooden bungalows or in a tent. During the summer months, the camp also provides an outdoor swimming pool, which serves as a great way to cool down on hot summer days. The Pivka restaurant, operating in the summer, serves excellent home cooking and game specialties.
If you decide to take a short walk after lunch, there are two karst caves nearby – Pivka Cave and Black Cave. Visiting the caves is only possible by prior arrangement and accompanied by an experienced guide.
Did you know? The Black Cave got its name from the black colored dripstones, which is not a natural phenomenon. The cause of this coloration is soot from torches, which have been used by the cave visitors for centuries.
In the late afternoon you can get moving again, turn onto the main road towards Predjama, and after a few minutes of driving, right next to the road, you will see Betalov spodmol, a world-famous archaeological site where remains from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods have been discovered. The cave was discovered in 1932 by a young researcher from the Italian speleological institute, Franco Anelli, who was researching karst caves.
In the cave with an overhanging entrance, archaeologists discovered a wide variety of stone tools and hearths, as well as the remains of cave bear skeletons, which you could see upon entering the Notranjska Museum.
To end the day right, you can go to the peak above Studeno, popular among the locals, where there is a Church of St. Lawrence. After a 10-minute drive towards Predjama, you reach the village of Studeno, where you turn left in the middle of the hamlet and continue along the road among the houses. Leave the car on a smaller parking area at the foot.
The path continues along the meadow and then through a forest, which is getting more and more sparse, so you can see a wonderful view of the valley. The trail is properly marked, so there is little chance of getting lost. Just below the summit, you can run into some horses, which graze unencumbered despite the many hikers.
A 50-minute walk to the Church of St. Lawrence is followed by a 5-minute climb to the viewpoint, from which you can watch at sunset, sitting on a wooden bench with a heart-shaped cutout, the peaks of Slivnica, Snežnik, Javorniki, Vremščica, and Nanos. The hike is also suitable for hot summer days, as the pine trees along the path serve as protection from the heat. Nevertheless, the use of sun block and tick repellent and appropriate footwear are recommended. The path to St. Lawrence can be a wonderful family trip.
